According to the Wall Street Journal, the NFL now wants to charge its 2015 Super Bowl halftime act for the privilege of playing there. The megastars who perform at said show have historically not been paid for the gig (they're almost always the loftiest masters of what Lady Gaga calls "the art of fame," so they're not exactly hard up for a few extra bucks). Still, the NFL is setting a unique precedent by asking for cash from artists who've already agreed to essentially work for free.

To be fair, though, the unpaid acts don't get a raw deal. Though they might not see a penny from the actual halftime performance, they tend to make up for it in spades immediately afterward thanks to a major sales boost; for instance, Beyonce and Destiny's Child album sales rocketed up by 40 percent the week following the 2013 Super Bowl.

Indeed, playing the show usually generates heaps of income for performers via exposure alone. It can reinvigorate stagnating careers (see Madonna's 2012 performance, which drew 112.5 million viewers) and get people buzzing about semi-lower-profile acts like February's Bruno Mars, who played with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and earned 115.3 million viewers—that's more eyeballs than on the game itself. Plus, there's the glory factor: The halftime show is one of the most coveted gigs on the planet, on the biggest professional stage most artists could ever conceive of playing.

But back to the NFL's newfangled "pay us for letting you play here" idea. The league has reportedly run its bold proposition past the 2015 show's three top contenders (Katy Perry, Coldplay, and Rihanna), and in news that is bound to shock precisely no one, the suggestion was apparently met with "a chilly reception" from the stars' reps.

It's not clear exactly how much money the organization would seek for a performance, and an NFL spokeswoman didn't seem interested in discussing it. Instead she gently reminded that the performers' contracts were confidential, but that the NFL's sole interest is in putting "on the best possible show." Being among the millions of Americans who tune in for the divine spectacle that is the halftime show each year, we can't help but believe her.